Hey everyone! I think you're all still mad at me (cries). Gomen gomen gomen, I'm sorry I disappeared, really I am, please don't abandon me! (hugs readers close) I have no will to continue if I don't get reviews! I don't even care if they're bad! If they're bad I just want to work to improve. I really am sorry, but now that I finally have a desire to write again no one remembers me! Well…I suppose there's no helping it. I'll just have to convince you that my work is still worth reading (puts on resolute face) yep yep, here it is!

Chapter Eleven: Affectus- The Keeper of Emotion

She sighed to herself, unable to admit that this place wasn't stunningly beautiful. The streets were paved and all brand new, the houses quaint and warm, the people carried on as if they were just like everyone else, as if their business was just as simple and easy. There was one lingering thought in her mind though- it wasn't.

"Quies! Quies!" she heard a voice shouting behind her and spun. Where was Quies? Her eyes darted, she'd come back to save her and…she faltered when the Keeper approached her. Oh yes, her mind reminded her glumly, you're Quies now.

"Yes?" she forced the word from her throat. Even that seemed to hurt her. It was as if, because she was accepting the name, she was accepting the fate. But then…did she have a choice?

"I'm Affectus," the man introduced himself, bowing slightly. She looked him over closely. He was a man about fifty, or so it seemed; though Umi knew he was much more ancient than that. His hair was a silver flecked black, and the clothes he wore were plain. There was no armor in the Sacred Village; she'd learned that lesson the hard way. Instead, he wore black breeches and a white shirt covered by his cloak that seemed to shift color. She stared at it curiously. "It changes with the emotion that I feel around me," he informed her, and she nodded, that made sense. He was the Keeper of Emotion, after all.

"Is there something you wanted from me?" something about his expression told her that he wasn't here for a chat. None of the Keepers seemed to simply chat. They all seemed to have some agenda, some purpose. Even those milling about in the street took determined steps, as if each had been planned out and planted directly in front of them. Those words echoed in her mind- We walk the path.

"I'm to instruct you on your intuition, as much as I can in the day and a half we have remaining," he explained, and her heart sank. That's right…I have more that I have to do…

"Of course," she bowed her head slightly, and he led her to a nearby house, which he seemed to share with a petit woman with gray hair that scurried out with barely a hello. The house was small and made of stones like all the others. The roof was constructed of hay; it never rained in the Sacred Village either, the Keeper of the Weather took care of that. She glanced at the woman as she walked into the street before she sighed and returned to the Keeper of Emotions.

§§§

Clef sighed heavily, praying that they would find something, and quickly. He knew that Silvius was growing impatient with his secrets. His hands clenched as he stared out to the sea, just a little more, he assured himself. Just a little more and then you'll have what you need to free her.

But what was it? Anger pounded fiercely in his heart, for the love of the creator he could not find out what it was! He'd searched, endlessly; he'd searched to no avail. Sending Fuu and Hikaru to Foret de la Neige seemed the best chance, but he still worried. Would they be able to find it? He knew it would be better if he'd gone, faster, but his place needed to be by Alliandre's side as she and Ascot departed for the Water Temple.

His eyes strayed to his crystal, reminding himself that was his duty. He had to remind himself at least a hundred times a day. As hard as he tried he couldn't break through the magic that protected the Sacred Village and even if he could he wouldn't be able to stand seeing her but being unable to touch her. Fuu, Hikaru, please come back with something that will save her…

"What are you thinking about?" a rough voice asked behind him, and he turned, slowly, giving himself time to wipe all emotion except anger from his eyes.

"Vengeance," he responded simply. His own voice scared him anymore; that wasn't how a Master Mage was supposed to sound. Yet, even though it was a farce, he felt the blood rush to the surface and fill his body with life. He knew he wanted vengeance, but there was no one to extract it on, not yet anyway.

"In time my friend," Silvius came forward and clapped Clef's shoulder. "Just give it time."

"She left this morning," Clef told Silvius after a silence. He approached his crystal, and Silvius followed curiously. "She is already at the Forest of Silence," he waved his staff over the large ball and showed him an image of the new Water Knight, accompanied by Ascot and two of his friends, making their way through the Forest.

"Good, very good. She will soon arrive at the Water Temple and there we will be able to meet her."

Clef nodded numbly, "Yes, there we will meet her."

§§§

Alliandre sighed heavily as she and Ascot made their way through the forest, "So this girl, Umi, what was she like?"

Ascot closed his eyes and shook his head, "Like nothing else," he responded quietly, and Alliandre sobered, "She was…beautiful," he laughed slightly. "With gorgeous blue hair that fell down her back in elegant waves and the body of a dancer, though she would hate it if you said it. She was fiery too, much too fiery for a water element," this made a small giggle escape Alliandre, and he turned to smile at her. "She had a temper, that one did. But the people loved her; she was their Princess, their savior. We never understood…back then…that she was hurting so badly. We never saw it in either of their eyes until Selece sent her away."

"So she was punished for loving?" Alliandre closed her eyes. How badly would that destroy her?

Ascot nodded, "Magic Knights are not supposed to love, a Princess of Cephiro devotes her heart only to the people. So he sent her away, and Clef took his solitude and exile in child form until the day that she would return. When she did, she was easily whisked away again, her memories of love fresh on her mind. Now, she's unable to love for completely different reasons."

"That's so sad," Alliandre whispered softly. "I just…it's hard to believe that such a beautiful world could have such an ugly system."

"It…" how was he supposed to explain the right of it? After seeing Umi, after seeing the rings under Clef's eyes and the tears running down Presea and Caldina's cheeks, after seeing himself be haunted by her loss, how was he supposed to defend Cephiro? "I suppose-"

"Sh…" she hissed, stopping him, "Did you hear that?"

"I didn't-" but then he did, a slight snarl in the distance. "We've cleared the Forest of monsters."

"Maybe you missed one or two," Alliandre answered swiftly and summoned her sword. The silver blade flashed, and Ascot shook his head. It was so strange, to see Umi's sword in another's hands.

"Do you know how to use that?" he questioned as the growl seemed to come closer toward them.

"Sorta," she answered in a whisper. "I used to play-fight in the orphanage with sticks or rulers."

"Uh oh," he groaned, but he noticed a flashing set of yellow eyes and jumped back, startled.

She saw it too and charged forward, holding her sword in front of her.

The thing lunged at the same time and managed to land right on top of her sword. She screamed when the blade sunk into flesh and dropped it, as it flew back into her ovum. With the creature breathing heavily on the ground, Ascot was able to go close and examine it. He gasped when the monster faded away into nothing before his very eyes.

"It was an illusion summoner," a cold voice told them, and Ascot turned on his heels to face Silvius.

"Get back," Ascot ordered, and Alliandre summoned her sword with shaking hands. She tried to clear her mind, but she was scared. She had never actually used a sword, and the feeling of her blade sinking into something else's flesh haunted her. It was a weapon of death, and the fact hit her hard.

"I'm not here to fight you," Silvius snapped. "I would much rather have her alive," a sick smile played on his lips. "Yes, much rather have her alive. I'm here to test you, see what your strength is," this he addressed to Alliandre who cowered slightly and took a step back. "And it doesn't look good Water Knight," he laughed. "Well, since I seem to have collected all my data, I think I'll be going. But we'll be meeting again soon, very soon," he promised before he turned and took a step into the distance, disappearing as he did.

"Wh-who was that?" Alliandre whispered from behind Ascot, and he turned to face her.

"That was Silvius, the former Keeper of Magic, the one who was in love with Umi but refused to accept Punishment. That is our enemy."

Her eyes widened in terror as he tried to console her, but her heart was screaming. She wasn't so sure this was better off than the orphanage, there weren't swords in an orphanage.

§§§

Clef shook his head and let the image fade. Silvius was right, her skill wasn't much. Lucky for her, she had Ascot who was trained as a summoner and a Mage, but…she would need more help than that to get her through this alive. And why? his mind snarled angrily, why get her out alive? Why does it matter anymore?

Shut up! Clef ordered it, because his heart told him with or without Umi, Cephiro would always matter. Cephiro was his home and his life; it would always matter, whether the beauty faded and crumbled or whether joy was brought back into his heart. With that thought, he went back to his chair and sat down. Before he knew it, he was asleep and dreaming. Dreaming…his mind smiled, dreaming her dreams for him.

He laughed warmly as she exited the Sacred Village. It faded behind her, but everything looked the same. They were just the same though their eyes showed years of wear. She bounded to him, throwing her arms tightly around his neck as he showered her with kisses.

"I will never let you go again," he vowed, and she let her first tears of love fall in a hundred years.

"I pray you won't ever have to."

"Umi!" he bolted upright and shook his head. Only a dream, he thought angrily and brushed it off as best as he could. A slight laugh from the corner made him turn his eyes in that direction. It was dark out, when had it gotten dark?

"She'll haunt your dreams," the voice whispered, and he nodded.

"Yeah, she will."

"Because she can now."

"Yeah, she can."

"And you still love her?"

"Yeah, I do," he whispered, and Silvius snarled and began to pace. "What is wrong with loving her?" Clef demanded fiercely.

"Everything!" he shouted. "Will you be able to do it? When the time comes, will you be able to kill Selece, the Dragon she loves?"

"The Dragon that sent us into exile for four hundred years?" Clef countered, and Silvius stopped pacing, seemingly calmer.

"So you are angry about that? Despite your righteous talk you do hate him for that?"

"Of course," Clef lied fluently.

"But is it enough?" Silvius pondered to himself, staring out Clef's window toward the sea. "Is it enough to tame the Water Dragon?"

"Kill him Silvius, kill him," Clef coaxed him into believing, and he smiled sickly and agreed.

"Yes, it may just be enough."

§§§

"So you see, you can learn to control it," Affectus was explaining to her. "That way it doesn't haunt you. At first it may be overwhelming," he warned, "but you'll get the hang of it. That happens with everything around here."

Umi nodded, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," he smiled warmly, and his cloak shifted to a warm yellow color. She smiled at it slightly, and he looked down.

"Affectus, do you-do you mind if I ask you a question?" she inquired.

"Shoot."

"What is your Punishment?"

He sighed and looked down, his cloak deepened to a purplish black, "To never be able to experience my own emotions," he responded, and she gasped.

"But you-your cloak, the smile and-" she stumbled, and he managed a weak smile.

"They're not mine," he answered softly. "You see, whenever I want to express emotion I have to search the world for someone who is using that same emotion at the same time, and then portray it through myself. Watch," as he instructed his face became a whirl of different expressions. One second he was laughing and in the blink of an eye crying, frowning, then smiling, glaring, then cocking his head in curiosity. "See?"

Umi's eyes widened in shock, "So you never feel…when you smile you never…?"

He nodded, "No, never once have I felt the warmth of a smile or the joy of a new friend. I've never once been brought to my knees by the shattering of a heart or had my own eyes well with tears at the loss of a loved one."

"That's…" she stopped. She didn't want to say terrible, because she didn't want to hurt him, but the thought silenced her further. She couldn't hurt him. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

"It's okay," he smiled a smile that was not his own, "I understand my Punishment, and I walk the path. It is not a path for the weak at heart, and this system weeds out the weak ones. No one can control someone else's emotions without being strong of heart."

"But…do you control them?"

"You mean, can I make someone fall in love?" he laughed slightly when she blushed and nodded. "Not exactly. I give people the power to decide their own emotions. Say, when someone decides that they've found a person that's right for them, whether or not they actually are, I put the jump into their stomach, the butterflies in their heart. I make their mouth dry when they walk in the room and their heart ache when they leave. I supply you with the things that make emotions, but I don't feel them."

"Oh," she whispered softly, "Arigato."

He smiled at her, "You know, your Punishment is to never fall in love, there's nothing saying you can't be in love."

She laughed lightly and nodded, "Good," she responded. "Because if that was the case I'd already be in the Floor."

He laughed back, and Umi couldn't detect the hollowness that should be there. How strange…to laugh but never feel the warmth it brought. To cry but never feel the ache. So many things she took for granted every day. Well, this place will break me of that habit, she thought bitterly.

§§§

"Alliandre, new Knight of Water, come forth," an ancient yet distinctly saddened voice bellowed, and she jumped back.

"What?" Ascot inquired.

"Didn't you hear that?"

He shook his head, "No…"

"There was a…never mind," she shrugged it off.

"Alliandre!" the voice was more distinct now, more urgent.

"All right already," she muttered and started to wade into the water. Ascot watched her, then nodded to himself. So Selece would accept her, for Cephiro. He settled onto the shore to wait.

§§§

"Now," Silvius whispered, and he and Clef transported themselves to the shore to await Alliandre's return.

"Clef, S-" Ascot stood, stopping when he saw them clearly, searching his teacher's eyes for answers. "You-"

Clef averted his eyes, and Ascot took a step back, "Ascot."

"Why?" Ascot demanded viciously. "Why?"

"Revenge Ascot, Selece stole her from me once, and Cephiro's done it again," Clef answered calmly.

"Then…you've come to kill Selece?"

"Hai," Clef nodded, "and you would be wise to stay out of it."

"I can't; I won't, for Umi and for Alliandre. I will not!" Ascot stood closest to the water as the now sobered Alliandre began to emerge.

"Summon him," Silvius ordered her as she stepped onto the shore.

"What? Guru?" she questioned.

"Don't do it Alliandre!" Ascot ordered.

"So you wish her to die as well?" Silvius asked bitingly.

"I-" Ascot stumbled, taking a glance back at the girl. She had stolen his heart in her short stay. They would both surely die without Selece just facing the Master Mage, never mind Silvius.

"Then be a good girl and summon him," Silvius instructed.

"Why do you want Selece?" she inquired.

"To kill him of course, ne Clef?" Silvius turned to the Mage, who nodded.

"H-hai."

Silvius' eyes narrowed, if Clef bailed out on him now…

"I hate him," he heard Clef mutter, and his confidence was restored.

"Do it," Ascot choked weakly. "Trust in Selece."

Alliandre nodded, clenching her fists, "Selece!" she called, and the great Rune God flew from the water to confront the Master Mage and the former Keeper of Magic.

§§§

"Now, I'll let some of the magic seep into you, so you can get your first taste of a premonition," Affectus told her, and she agreed weakly. He reached forward and touched her forehead gently, letting magic flow into her. She was almost knocked to the ground with the images that tore through her. It was almost like she was there it was so real…

A young girl stood in front of a Rune God, her Rune God.

"Selece," she whispered in the dream state, but if moved forward despite.

Ascot was standing next to the girl who was facing Silvius and…her heart stopped, "Clef?"

"This fight is futile," Selece boomed in a tired voice. "Clef, as Master Mage of Cephiro I would have thought more of you."

"Four hundred years of torture Selece, only to endure this!" Clef shouted back, raising his staff. Silvius leaned back and waited for the Master Mage to begin.

Umi was frozen stiff in the middle of the fight. She wanted to scream and stop him, but no words came and even if they did, they'd never be heard anyway.

Then, Clef began to cast, but at the last possible minute, he turned and directed his spell toward Silvius who was caught off-guard and was thrown to the ground by the attack. He struggled up, panting, and began to pour magic onto Clef who had used a considerable amount of energy on his own attack and hit the ground, unable to defend himself.

"No! Guru!" Ascot shouted, throwing himself in the way of the magic.

"Ascot," Clef mumbled weakly and tried to reach out to his student when Silvius let the magic cease, only so he could walk forward and examine them.

"Surely a former Keeper couldn't have bested the Master Mage and his prize student?" he tisked. "What a pity, well, I suppose you should have rested more, used less energy on trying to break the Sacred Village's barriers. Then, maybe your little surprise attack would have been successful," he taunted mockingly.

"Do something!" Umi screamed with all her heart to the girl who held her sword. "Clef!"

Silvius' fingers wrapped tightly around Clef's neck as he pulled him to his feet. The Mage was too tired to even struggle. He was ready to accept his fate, "Umi-chan, gomen nasai…"

The vision began to fade, but Umi fought hard, clinging to every little detail she could.

"Quies," she heard Affectus' voice but refused to return just yet. Silvius' grip was intensifying.

"Trust thine heart," Selece urged, and the girl nodded and moved her sword in front of her as she charged at Silvius' back, running him through and forcing him to slacken his grip on Clef.

"Never underestimate a Magic Knight," she warned, yanking the sword free as both Clef and Silvius crumpled to the ground. One was breathing, the other was not.

The vision blurred and then faded into black as Umi passed out and returned to her garden of sleeping people to plant the night's seeds.